Africa

2013-01-14

Tunis (Agenzia Fides) - "In these two years since the so-called 'Jasmine Revolution', two irreversible developments have taken place in Tunisia, and more generally in the Arab world," says to Fides Agency His Exc. Mgr. Maroun Elias Lahham, patriarchal Vicar for Jordan of the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem and Apostolic Administrator Archbishop of Tunis, two years after the overthrow of Ben Ali from Tunisia. "First of all – explains Mgr. Lahham - there is a youth that can use new media very well and who is not afraid to say what he/she thinks. Along with this the 'Arab path' has exploded. Before one was afraid of the governments, now the Arab rulers are afraid of the people. For example, the Egyptian President Mursi had to change his mind three times under the pressure of the Egyptian path. A phenomenon that did not exist either in Egypt or in Tunisia or in any other Arab country " stresses the Archbishop.
"The other new factor is the coming to power of the Muslim Brotherhood through free elections" continues Mgr. Lahham. "This is due in large part because the Brothers had the only organized parties on the territory. Now that they are in government, the Muslim Brotherhood are affected by the fact that they have a serious economic program, and now the Tunisian economy, unfortunately, is in steep decline."
"We hope that for the elections to be held next June people will understand that an open mosque is not enough to govern a Country, but serious political and economic programs are needed," concluded Mgr. Lahham. (L.M.) (Agenzia Fides 14/01/2013)